Baby Food for Mother’s Day: Parsnip Pear Puree

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Weird title? Don’t worry, it all gets clearer after the jump.

Happy Mother’s Day! I wish I could say that I’ve spent the day enjoying nice weather with my mom. Instead, I took a one-hour study break to bring her flowers and treats, and then came scurrying home to have another breakdown continue with my studies. (Don’t worry, Mom—more surprises await you tomorrow and Tuesday!) I’m in exams for over six hours tomorrow, so this is crunch time.

I’m not too crunched, however, to share my pride at being featured in a new book on healthy, plant-based nutrition for mothers, mothers-to-be, and babies. It’s called Raising Happy, Healthy Babies, and it’s written by Kim Corrigan, who runs the fabulous site Your Green Baby.

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Kim contacted me asking if she might mention me in the book. When I received a copy, I saw that she had featured one of my burger recipes in the book, and I said of course! I was very flattered, and thrilled to see them in print when my complimentary copy arrived.

I was also truly impressed with Kim’s book, which is chock full of useful information about pregnancy, nursing, and nutrition for mothers who care about eating whole foods, plant-based diets. I’m a big fan of anyone who helps new moms stay true to their health and ethics, so Kim gets major kudos from me! I think it’s terrific that she features recipes both for babies and for new Moms, who may be prone to neglecting their own needs and cravings as they make time for baby.

But mommy recipes weren’t what caught my attention here. No, no. In keeping with my intense love of mush (hummus? nut pate? root veggie mash? I’m sure you guys have noticed) I went straight for Kim’s recipes for homemade baby food, which looked scrumptious. The following combination—parsnip and pear—sounded almost too good to be true. I’m fond of using parsnips in savory dishes, but I’d never thought to combine them with something downright sweet. I should have—this puree is a perfect dessert, snack, or treat for anytime of day.

And if you have a new baby to share it with, so much the better. Make two servings, though—Moms are bound to get hooked!

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Parsnip and Pear Puree (adapted slightly from Raising Healthy Happy Babies)

2 Adult Servings, and 4 (or so) Baby Servings

3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 pears, peeled
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Touch sea salt (my addition)

Steam parsnips for 15-20 minutes, add pears and steam another 5-10 minutes.

Transfer to a food process, add ginger, and process till very smooth.

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I definitely recommend checking out Kim’s book, which features many more delicious varieties of mush for babies AND grown up food bloggers. Her passion is obvious, her approach is accessible and sane, and her cuisine looks really tasty.

Speaking of mothers, you’ll find a special, Mom dedicated post—complete with a raw, vegan cookie recipe–here on CR tomorrow, as I take my tests. For tonight, friends, please wish me luck. I need it!

xo

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    25 Comments
  1. I wouldn’t have thought of that combo,but it looks delicious! And there is something about baby food that has a comfort food connection!

  2. Good luck from the airport–hope it’s not too late!

    Yes, parsnip in sweet things, like my cheesecake! Sounds delectable.
    love
    Ela

  3. I love baby food and I’m so glad you posted this recipe! Mush happens to be my favorite consistency, too. In high school my standard packed lunch was cold pasta salad and pear baby food. Yes I got some strange looks and some funny nicknames, but I always had a good lunch. Can’t wait to make this when I return to the states-there are no parsnips to be found in Italy, although I did find some sweet potatoes yesterday for your sweet potato hummus 🙂
    Good luck with your finals!

  4. Good luck Gena! I’m sure you will do great! Glad I found your blog -I just started following you on twitter as well, so thats exciting! Looking forward to reading more

  5. All the best with your exams, Gena! Wish I could alleviate your anxiety…I’ve been there. Relief is just around the corner…
    Hugs, Karen

  6. Good luck courageous Gena! You’re going to blow the examiners away… and then continue blowing us away with your gorgeously inventive yet doable recipes!

  7. I often call myself a baby often, as I live for pureed mush 🙂 What can I say, pumpkin puree is SOOOO good and nutritious; it’s not just for babies!
    Love your parsnip kick 🙂

  8. Good luck on your tests! I actually really love eating baby food. Except the nasty veggie/meat ones that come in weird colors. Although, come to think of it, that’s probably what a lot of my food looks like. 😀

  9. For a minute I thought someone might be pregnant. 🙂 I guess you are too busy for that right now. This book looks great, I will pass along the title to my sister and sis in law both who have little ones. Actually one of my niece’s first foods was hummus. She loves sweet potato, kale, and lots of other good stuff. I guess it’s important to start early.

  10. Thanks Gena, for your wonderful words about my book and for sharing it with your readers, I really appreciate it.

    And your pear and parsnip puree looks delish! It is always a favourite with the babes and their mamas in my cooking classes.

    Thanks again and good luck with the studies and exams.

  11. Best of luck on your tests, Gena. And congrats on your sunshine burger recipe being in print!

    Kim’s book looks great. I never bought jarred baby food for Skylar. That’s what a Vitamix is for 🙂

    Mostly we did BLW (baby led weaning) where she gnawed on whole foods, and we avoided much of the mush phase, but I also made plenty of pureed sweet taters and various combos of applesauce and got her started early on greens…nothing like a little romaine blended in with those apples, right?

    If the book included recipes for preg/nursing moms, even better. I was never so hungry in all my life as I was the first 12 mos or so of nursing and while most books focus on dropping the baby weight, I was looking to add fatty plant based foods.

    Fun book review and great looking mush 🙂

  12. Good luck!! I have my exams on Thursday, so I feel your pain. Hang in there! You can do it!

    This recipe reminds me of a pear sauce I make for my grandpa every now and then. The addition of parsnips sounds perfect!

  13. Oh, so exciting! I’ve been looking for healthy baby food sites/books. Lillian will love this puree–and I bet I will too! Good luck with finals!!!

  14. I actually love baby food. I always have. I used to buy organic jarred baby food from Whole Foods until I realized that it was a waste of money, and that if I wanted to eat pureed fruit that badly, I could do it at home. Haha! Of course I never make it, but I’m thinking about it now! Parsnip and pear sounds great. My favorite used to be banana and pear. What is it about pears that make them taste so good pureed? I think it’s the mildly gritty texture…it adds character to the typical smoothness of a puree. Anyway, good luck on your tests! I’m doing homework right now…writing this comment as a means of procrastination. Obviously I’m not even remotely in the mood to do schoolwork, considering I have now written an entire paragraph about baby food. Why must you distract me, Gena?! Hmph. Goodbye!

  15. I know this is baby food but it looks really good right now; all food looks good during the stress of finals.
    I hear you on feeling like you weren’t able to pay enough attention to your mother today. I didn’t see mine(saw her yesterday for an hour or so).
    Good luck on finals! Think that soon enough it will all be over, at least for a few months.

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